Method and apparatus for making ampoules containing compressed gas



Ocf- 31, 1944. Jfl.. PuJol. Y FONT 2,361,413

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING AMPULES CONTAINING COMPRESSED GAS FiledApril 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l HP0/1,4m af @4J CoM/wassen 70 /f//Px7/Meran 9mm fw Q .,7 .BY f v ATTORNEYS Oct. 31, 1944.

J. L.. PUJOL Y 'FONT METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR MAKING AMPULES GONTAININGCOMPRESSED GAS Filed April '7. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2A lNvEN-ron l BYfem/Mi LM/(4 r ab ATTORNEYS atented ct. 3i, lgdd @NUE stares vgarantMETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING Ali/IHUILES EGNTAENING @OMPRESSED GASXuan Luis kuicl y iFont, Altos, Habana, Cuba application aprii 2, i941,serial No. 387,281 v iin (Cuba dune 28, i940 l 8 Gianna.

The present invention has for its object an improved or new method andmachine for the can be applied in various industries such as periumeryor medicine.

En the accompanying drawings have illustrated a machine of thepreferred' design for carrying out my invention and in said drawings;

Fig. l is a side elevation of the machine with the pipe connections andthe electrical appurtenances shown diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the pressure cylinder of themachine;

Fig. 3 is a cross section cf the pressure cylinder;

Fig. d is a detail view of the sealed article made by the process andmachine constituting my present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the manner ci using the article forhypodermic injection.

'The machine consists essentially of a cylindrical drum or pressurechamber i of sucient 'thickness to withstand the pressure of the gaswith which the glass receptacles are to be charged. The machine selectedfor illustration is designed particularly for the manufacture ofampoules containing a liquid medicament to be introduced hypodermicallyso that no syringe is required for administering the dose. The finishedampoule A shown in Fig. d contains the necessary quantity of medicamentfor a single administration which partially 'lls the ampoule, thebalance of the ampoule being taken up by an inert gas under pressure. Atone end the ampoule is provided with a narrow neck a which is sealed byfusion in the machine illustrated.

On use a short section of rubber tubing b (see Fig. 5) connects thesealed neck of the ampoule with a hypodermic needle c. After the needleis inserted the physician, by pressing the rubber tube, can break offthe sealed tip of the neck of the ampoule, whereupon the compressed gasexpands and forces the liquid through the needle. n screen d in therubber tube prevents any glass from getting into the needle.

The cylinder l is provided at each end with removable doors 2 and 3,respectively. The door 2 is hinged on brackets d projecting beyond theend wall, and also hinged on the brackets is a frame 5 carrying aclamping screw for compressing the gasket between the door and the endwall of the cylinder. This structure is provided to facilitate theopening and closing of the door, as it is through this door that theglass receptacles are charged into the cylinder and removed. The door orhead 3, which need not be opened in the ordinary operation of the ma-`chine, may be clamped against its seat by clamping screws ll.

.The chamber is preferably provided on its inner surface with aninsulated coating to prevent short circuit by accidental contact betweennecks extending upwardly but inclined away from the wall of thecylinder. The supports are so arranged that the necks of the ampouleswhen properly positioned are arranged in a row longitudinally of thedrum to one side of the axis of the drum. The rack 8 is supported on aplate extending across the bottom of the drum so that it may be removedand changed with a fresh lot of ampoules after each sealing operation.

The cover 3 contains a peep hole of glass, mica or other material ofsuitable strength and transparent and of a color which absorbsultraviolet or other rays that might injure the sight, and through whichone can look into the inside of the chamber. This peep hole is markedwith the number l@ in the drawings.

Almost in the middle of the cover 3 there is an opening. il in which isseated a sleeve l2, insulated from the cover 3 as shown. Fitted to slidein the sleeve l2 is a metal tube i3, a stuing box le being provided toprevent leakage of gas. Fitted in the tube i3 is a rod ida, whichprojects beyond the tube at both ends. Attached to the inner end of therod by a properly insulated support is a holder l5 for one of thecarbcns of an electric arc, to which current is conveyed by a cablewhich passes through a suitably sealed insulator l'ia in the head 3. Theholder i6 for the other carbon of the arc is attached'to the adjacentend of the tube i3 to which current is conveyed from a cable ilattachedvto the tube y near its outer end.

By this arrangement the carbons may be brought together and separate tostrike and adjust the arc and the whole assembly including the arc may-be shifted axially of the drum l and also rotated in the sleeve I2 tobring the arc into and out of proximity to the necks of the ampoules tobe sealed and also shifted from ampoule to ampoule of the row mounted inthe rack.

To the upper part of the chamber three tubes are connected by means ofcocks. There is also a safety valve 2I. One of the tubes 22 is connectedto a vacuum pump, not shown. Tube 23 is connected to a gas or aircompressor or a ask of compressed gas. while the third tube 24 isconnected to a mercury tank the operation of which wil1 be explainedlater. There is also a pressure gauge 25. In the lower part of the drumis a tap to allow the gas to escape before opening the cover 2.

From a rheostat 26 comes the electric current. The negative electricalconductor wire has a branch 21 which runs to a bulb 28 and also by meansof a switch 29 passes through the insulator Ia to the carbon holder I5.The positive electrical conductor wire goes to the tube 24 at the point30. Between said point and the tubing which goes to the machine, thereis a tube of rubber or other insulating material 3l which serves toinsulate the machine from this contact. The said wire also has a branchwhich by the switch 29 makes contact with the carbon holder I6.

There is a small receptacle 33 connected to the tube 24 and the tubecontinues until it joins with another glass receptacle 34. 'I'hisreceptacle 33 and tubing are full of mercury which transmits thepositive electricity, the mercury reaching up to about the half of theglass receptacle 3l. Within the receptacle 34 there is a plumb bob 35which by means of a conductor wire is connected to the bulb 28. Saidwire passes through a little tube attached to a balance device 36. Whena certain pressure exists in the chamber, the gas causes the mercury torise until it makes contact with the plumb bob and by this means withthe bulb which remains lighted.

The arm of the balance device rests on a support 31 connected with thegas pressure line and provided with a release mechanism, not shown,designed to release the support when the pressure in the gas lineexceeds the predetermined maximum to thereby lift the plumb bob out ofcontact with the mercury to break the circuit through the indicatinglamp. Thus, the lamp will remain lighted only when the gas pressure inthe cylinder is within the predetermined limits.

In operation the ampoules, after being partially filled with the desiredliquid, are arranged in the rack 8 in the manner shown in the drawings.The door 2 is then closed and clamped against the end wall of thecylinder by means of clamping screws 6. The valve fromthe vacuum line 22is then opened and the air exhausted from the cylinder. The tank is thenconnected to the pipe 23 from the gas compressor and when the pressurein the tank as indicated by the gauge 25 reaches approximately thedesired value, the switch is closed, thereby energizing the conductorsleading t0 the arc lamp Within the cylinder.

By manipulating the knob 20 the rods Ida will be shifted longitudinallyto bring the carbons into contact vand strike the arc, which may beobserved through the peephole I0. When the arc is properly adjusted andthe bulb 28 indicates operator, by means of the hand wheel I9, shiftsthe arc into position adjacent the nrst ampoule in the row supported inthe rack 8. Until this time the arc is positioned with its carbone abovethe supporting tube i3, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. After thearc is burning to the satisfaction of the operator and has been shiftedto bring it opposite the rst ampoule in the rack, the hand wheel I9 isturned to approximately 90 to thereby bring the arc into close proximityto the end of the neck of the ampoule, as illustrated in solid lines inFig. 3. The heat of the` arc almost instantly fuses the glass at the endof the neck, thereby sealing the ampoule with its charge of liquid andcompressed gas. By means of the hand wheel I9 the rod is turned back toits original position to thereby move the arc away from the ampoulewhich has been sealed and allow the glass to cool and solidify.

The supporting tube I3 is then shifted longitudinally to bring the arcopposite the second ampoule in the rack which is sealed in the samemanner, and so on throughout the entire row.

To' facilitate in the proper positioning of the arc during the sealingoperation, the tube I3 may be marked with scale lines indicating thepositions of the successive ampoules. Also. stops may be provided tolimit the rotative movement ofthe arc.

For different size ampoules, different racks 'may be provided with thepockets positioned so as to bring the ends of the necks to be sealedinto the same position in the drum. Because of the light 28 the operatorcan give his entire attention to the manipulation of the arc as thelight will be extinguished in "the event the pressure falls below orgoes above the desired working limits.

It will be understood, of course, that the structure illustrated may bemodified in various ways without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of sealing glass ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, winch comprises supporting within a chamber a pluralityof ampoules each containing the liquid to be sealed therein with thenecks thereof which are to be sealed arranged in substantial alignment,lling the chamber with the desired gas under the desired pressure,moving a heating element in a predetermined, xed, guided direction insubstantial parallelism with the aligned necks of the containers tobring it successively opposite the necks of the several ampoules to besealed, and moving the heating element, when opposite the successiveampoules, in a predetermined, fixed, guided direction to Ibring theheating element into sealing position to thereby fuse the glass of thenecks of the ampoules into sea s.

2. The method of sealing glass ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, which comprises supporting within a chamber a pluralityof ampoules each containing the liquid to be sealed therein with thenecks thereof which are to be sealed arranged in substantial alignment,filling the chamber with the desired gas under the desired pressure,moving a heating element in a predetermined, xed, guided direction inparallelism with the aligned necks of the 'containers to bring itsuccessively opposite the tliat the pressure is within the desiredlimits, the 1l poste the successive ampoules, moving it throughpredetermined, fixed, guided direction to bring it into a positionopposite the neck of the ampoule, and, thereafter, moving the heatingelement in a predetermined, fixed, guided direction towards the neck ofthe ampoule to bring it into sealing position to thereby fuse the glassof the vneck of the ampoule into a seal.

4. Apparatus for making sealed ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, comprising a gas-tight chamber, means for supporting anampoule containing the liquid with its end unsealed within the chamber,a sealing unit comprising a support projecting through the wall of thechamber, and a heating element carried thereby within the chamber, meansfor moving the heating element in two predetermined, fixed, guideddirections, one to bring it to a position adjacent the ampoule, and theother to move it, when in a position adjacent the ampoule, towards andaway from the neck of the ampoule.

5. Apparatus for making sealed ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, com'- prising a gas-tight chamber, means for supportingan ampoule containing the liquid with its end unsealed within thechamber, a sealing unit comprising a support projecting through the wallof the chamber, andA a heating element carried thereby within thechamber, means for reciprocating said heating element in apredetermined, xed direction to bring it to a position adjacent theampoule, and means for oscillating the heating element in apredetermined, fixed direction when in a position adjacent said ampouleto move it into and out of sealing position with respect to the neck ofthe ampoule.

6. Apparatus for making sealed ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, comprising a gas-tight chamber, means for supporting aplurality of ampoules containing the liquid within the chamber withtheir ends unsealed and in substantial alignment, a sealing unitcomprising a support projecting through the wall of the chamber, and aheating element carried thereby within the chamber, means for movingsaid heating element in a predetermined, fixed, guided direction insubstantial parallelism with said row of ampoules, and means for movingthe heating element, when in a position opposite-any particular ampoule,towards and away from saidampoule to bring it into and out of sealingposition. y

' '7. Apparatus for making sealed ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, comprising a gas-tight chamber, means for supporting aplurality of ampoules containing the liquid within the chamber withtheir ends unsealed and in substantial alignment, a sealing unitcomprising a support projecting through the wall `of the chamber, and aheating element carried thereby within the chamber, means forreciprocating said heating element in a predetermined, xed directionalong the aligned ampoules, and means for oscillating said heatingelement in a predetermined, fixed direction, when opposite anyparticular ampoule, toward and away from the aligned ampoules.

8. Apparatus for making sealed ampoules containing a liquid and a gasunder pressure, comprising a gas-tight chamber, means for supporting anampoule containing the liquid and its end `unsealed within the chamber,a sealing unit comprising a support projecting through the wall of thechamber, and a pair of spaced electrodes carried thereby within thechamber, means outside of the chamber for moving one of said electrodesrelative lto the other, means for moving said electrodes in twopredetermined, fixed, guided directions, one to bring the electrodes toa position adjacent said ampoule, and the other to move said electrodes,when in a position adjacent the ampoule, toward and away from theampoule.

JUAN LUIS PUJOL Y FONT.

